The Game
by NaoliolaStarFly
Summary: The Cooper Gang take part in a legendary contest that happens only once every fifty years. His father did it and so did his fathers father and his father before him, etc. They compete with other world class thieves for the glory to have their names carved in history and for a priceless treasure beyond anything they've ever laid eyes on, but not all thieves carry a code of honor.


**The Game**

A warehouse sat on a piece of cement out by the ocean. It was a rusted brown from years of neglect. From the outside anyone passing by would just think of it as an useless eyesore. Had that same person bothered to get close to it and peer inside, they may have never lived to tell the tale of the majesty it held.

A quarter mile away a scrawny raccoon dressed in a blue long sleeved shirt used his binoculars to send a live surveillance feed back to his genius friend. The genius was a short green turtle wearing over sized eye glasses and tiny red bow tie. Over his shoulder was the tallest member of their group. At five feet tall this pink hippo easily towered over most of the people their gang came in contact with. They both watch the little computer screen with the images of the warehouse that their friend sent back.

Inside the warehouse were dozens of thugs, mostly in groups of three's and fours. Only a handful of them were there on their own. One team of biker clad rhinoceroses kept their distance in the corner of the dimly lit building. They weren't the only ones to be weary of other teams and keep their guard up. The warehouse like a powder keg and everyone inside were giving off sparks. All it would take was one person to say something that put the others off. Even just looking at someone the wrong way was a death sentence.

"What all do you see Sly?" His hippo friend asked the raccoon outside crouching on a tree limb.

"Not much." Sly, the raccoon, replied moving his binoculars to each inch of the warehouse so his friends in their team van could get a better look. He focused on the group of rhinos in the corner.

"See anything worth reporting?" The nasally voiced turtle tapping away on the laptops keyboard asked through their com link.

"Yeah..." His focus was still on the rhino gang. "Where are those guys knees?"

Hearing those words the turtle almost flipped out of his chair. "GET SERIOUS, SLY!" The pink hippo helped pick his friend up off of the ground.

"Ha, ha, ha." Sly chuckled. "I am sorry, Bentley, but you are way too worried about this. These other gangs have nothing on us." Using his cane, Sly slid down the tree and scurried over to their van on a few yards away.

"Sly! Get back over there and finish your recon!" Yelled the ever worrisome Bentley.

"Sorry Bent, but we can handle are own against these wannabes and posers." He slid over two his only two friends in the world. "It's about to get started. If we don't go in now we won't be qualified. Look at Murray." He pointed to the rotund pink hippo in a wrestler mask.

Sly and Murray went wide eyed and quivered their lips. If they wanted any chance of winning this thing they would need the brains of the operation to give them his full cooperation.

"Alright. Let's go." Bentley gave in. He gathered a bow and various kind of arrows from a trunk nearby. His friends also gather their necessary supplies.

Sly made sure his parachute was packed correctly and grabbed a fresh handful of raccoon shaped cutouts, his calling cards. Murray put on his reddish brown finger less gloves.

"Are we ready now?" Bentley was still annoyed. He always liked to have all of the information that was vital to fully prepare a plan before something as big as they were about to get themselves into.

"Let's do this!" Murray shouted while punching his fist together. It was no secret that he was amped and ready to go.

"Come on!" Sly held the excitement of a child on Christmas morning awaiting permission to tear into his gifts. "Let's show them how real thieves work."

One by one they each hopped out of the blue van with yellow and orange flames on the front of it. Something crept over them. It was a wave of fear mixed with excitement with a dash of honor as they walked over to the warehouse. The building seemed much taller once they reached the front door. It's brown exterior loomed in on the trio. Swallowing the lumps in their throats, Sly swung open the double doors and took a giant leap in.

First chapter of a new story. It is actually the plot of a book I've been wanting to write, but I have three projects already in progress and this one has been itching it's way out for some time now. Well now that it is out in print maybe my mind will have on less thing to jumble it up. Hoped you enjoyed.


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